Unit standard 22891
Title /
Deliver an oral presentation in English for an academic purpose
Level / 4 / Credits / 5 / Version / 4Note
The following guidelines are supplied to enable assessors to carry out valid and consistent assessment using this internal assessment resource.
Assessors must manage authenticity for any assessment from a public source, because students may have access to the assessment schedule or student exemplar material. Use of this assessment resource without modification may mean that students’ work is not authentic. The assessor will need to change figures, measurements or data sources or set a different context or topic.
While this resource exemplifies written assessments, there are other assessment activities and approaches that could be taken.
See Generic Resources and Guidelines at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers-partners/assessment-and-moderation/assessment-of-standards/generic-resources/.
Assessor guidelines
Assessors need to be very familiar with the outcome being assessed by the unit standard. The outcomes, performance criteria and the guidance notes contain information, definitions, and requirements that are crucial when interpreting the standard and assessing learners against it.
Conditions of ASsessment/ This is an open book assessment that will take place over a timeframe set by the assessor.
· Presentation must be in the candidates' own words.
· The oral presentation must be a minimum of 8 minutes long.
· The presentation must be recorded to provide evidence that the candidates have met the requirements.
· Candidates must use visual aids to support their oral presentation.
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Context/Setting
· It is recommended that assessment against this unit standard is conducted in conjunction with assessment against other Level 4 English for Academic Purposes unit standards. This could include unit standard 22751, Read and process information in English for academic purposes; unit standard 22750, Write a crafted text for a specified audience using researched material in English for academic purposes, and unit standard 22892, Demonstrate understanding of a spoken text and process information in English for an academic purpose.
· Assessment may occur in conjunction with study and assessment in other learning areas.
· Candidates can be assessed in an actual or simulated situations, but it must closely reflect an authentic context such as a seminar, exposition, debate or speech.
· The academic purpose of the assessment can be decided by the assessor or the candidate. It will involve answering a research question that could involve comparing, contrasting, problem solving, discussion.
Notes for assessors
· The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) describes language proficiency at six levels. The English for Academic Purpose standards align with the mid B2 descriptors. Teachers and assessors are encouraged to refer to these descriptors to gain a clearer understanding of the competencies required by these standards.
· It is important that both assessors and candidates are familiar with the requirements of the outcome, performance criteria and the guidance notes of the unit standard.
· The assessor must be satisfied that the candidate can independently demonstrate competency against the unit standard.
· Refer to your institution’s policies before offering a resubmission or further assessment opportunities.
· For quality assurance purposes, including moderation, assessment against this unit standards must be recorded both aurally and visually. For guidance on how to submit materials for moderation please refer to http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/preparing-digital-visual-submissions-for-moderation/.
· It is recommended that prior to assessment candidates have prepared by:
- studying a model text on a parallel topic, such as How babies learn language found at the back of this document
- reading resource documents relevant to the academic purpose.
Assessment activity
Academic purpose
Candidates will deliver an oral presentation answering the research questions below.
Research questions
· What potential problems does settling into a new country present for a specified group of migrants?
· What possible solutions are there to these potential problems for this group of migrants?
Specified groups of migrants could include groups of people based on:
· language
· ethnicity
· age
· religion
· background e.g. refugee background.
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Assessment Schedule
Unit standard 22891
Title /
Deliver an oral presentation in English for an academic purpose
Level / 4 / Credits / 5 / Version / 4PC / Evidence for achievement / Judgements for achievement
The oral presentation is a minimum of 8 minutes long.
PC 1.1
Presentation addresses the academic purpose and displays a broad knowledge base, incorporating some theoretical concepts in a structured and coherent manner. / Presentation begins by setting the context and addresses the academic purpose e.g. I am going to identify the challenges that face older migrants to New Zealand and then discuss possible ways to overcome the problems these challenges cause.
There is evidence throughout the presentation of a broad understanding of the topic.
Content is structured so that it flows logically e.g. after the introduction, ideas are presented and developed. The conclusion provides a summary and looks at future developments.
All content is relevant to the topic. Statements made are supported by reference to relevant research and theories throughout the presentation e.g. Research indicates that older migrants place considerable importance on social connectedness in reducing their sense of isolation.
Strategies that help the listener to follow the content e.g. So, the question is, what can be done to assist older migrants to see New Zealand as ‘home’ whilst maintaining connectedness with pre-existing communities? / Presentation begins by addressing the academic purpose.
Presentation uses appropriate content and demonstrates a broad understanding of the topic.
Content is presented in a logical order.
Strategies are used to help the listener follow the content.
PC 1.2
Spoken language is clear and understood. This includes pronunciation, fluency and audibility. / The candidate’s speech is clear and easily understood e.g.
· correct words are chosen and pronounced accurately.
· the presentation flows with few hesitations and correct intonation, stress and rhythm.
· voice production is clearly audible. / Word choice, pronunciation, fluency and audibility are conventional and do not interfere with meaning most of the time.
PC 1.3
Varied and complex English language structures are used with good control. Inconsistencies seldom impede communication. / A range of sentence structures is used. These may include:
· simple sentences e.g. Older Chinese immigrants are one of the largest ethnic ageing groups in New Zealand.
· compound sentences e.g. Older Chinese immigrants need to both integrate into the host culture and maintain their ethnic identity.
· complex sentences e.g. Migrants, who are older, tend to continue to connect with events in their country of origin.
A range of language features appropriate for an oral text is used. These may include:
· appropriate tense e.g. it has been suggested (passive), could be argued (modals), they are feeling isolated …. (continuous)
· use of questions e.g. So, what has research told us about this group?
· sentence fragments e.g. Surely not?
· discourse markers e.g. but remember…. / Presentation includes a range of language structures appropriate to an oral presentation used correctly most of the time.
Inconsistencies seldom interfere with meaning.
PC 1.4
Vocabulary is appropriate to the academic context and specialist vocabulary is evident throughout. / Presentation includes specialised and academic vocabulary appropriate to the topic, academic context and the academic purpose e.g.
· academic vocabulary e.g. investigation, culture, tradition, resettlement
· specialised vocabulary e.g. social isolation, transnational families / A range of vocabulary appropriate to the topic and the academic context is used correctly most of the time.
PC 1.5
A range of strategies is used to promote sustained engagement with the audience.
Strategies may include but are not limited to – non-verbal features such as pauses, changes in pitch and volume, and gestures for effect, initiating and responding to interaction, originality. / There is evidence of a range of verbal and non-verbal strategies used effectively to engage the audience. These may include:
· pauses for effect e.g. after a question or an important statement e.g. So, what has research told us about this group? [Pause].
· changes in pitch and volume linked to intended purpose e.g. so (with rising intonation).
· gestures and facial expressions linked to content
· asking appropriate questions to stimulate discussion e.g. So how can we assist this group?
· responding to questions/comments from the audience. e.g. I’m glad you asked that because…
· originality e.g. ability to be spontaneous in approach and ideas. / Presentation holds the interest of the audience by using a range of verbal and non-verbal features.
PC 1.6
Visual aids are used to contribute to the effectiveness of the presentation.
These may include but are not limited to – whiteboard, realia, text, diagram, power point, video/audio clip, map, poster. / Visual aids are used effectively by being integrated into the presentation. They are clearly presented. Visual aids may include:
· whiteboard e.g. an overview of presentation is written
· realia e.g. objects that relate to the topic
· text e.g. a handout of key points and references
· diagram e.g. a diagram that illustrates a point being made
· power point e.g. slides to accompany presentation
· video/audio clip e.g. a recording of a research subject
· maps, posters or pictures of key places, objects, events in presentation. / All visual aids used are relevant, clear and integrated into the presentation.
PC 1.7
Source material is acknowledged. / Source materials e.g. written sources, diagrams, visuals, audio clips etc are acknowledged. This may include:
· appropriate citation at the point used e.g. on the power point slide where the source is used or in a handout
· a reference list on the final slide of a power point or in a handout.
References use a recognised format e.g. APA is followed. / Appropriate in-text and end of text referencing is used.
Referencing is used correctly most of the time.
N.B. Oral acknowledgement of the details of each source is not usually required.
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Model presentation on a parallel topic
Research question: What changes occur in the brain when we first begin to learn a language? What are the critical periods for learning languages?
1.1 Presentation addresses the academic purpose and displays a broad knowledge base, incorporating some theoretical concepts.1.3 Varied and complex language structures are used with few inaccuracies
e.g. simple, compound and complex sentences, questions
1.4 Use is made of vocabulary appropriate to the context:
- specialist words
- academic words
1.5 A range of strategies are used to promote sustained engagement with the audience e.g. non-verbal – pauses for effect. verbal – changes in intonation
1.6 Use of visual aids contributes to the effectiveness of the presentation.
e.g. pictures, diagrams, power point slides
1.5 A range of
strategies are used to promote sustained engagement with the audience e.g. initiating and responding to interaction
1.7 Sources are acknowledged on the PPT and a complete reference list is included. / I want you to look at this baby. [Show power point slide of a newborn baby] What you are drawn to are the characteristics you can see – her eyes, her soft skin and that engaging smile. But today I’m going to talk to you about something you cannot see – what is going on in that tiny brain of hers. The modern tools of neuroscience are demonstrating to us that what is going on up there is nothing short of rocket science. I am going to demonstrate how babies learn language by showing you how early exposure to language, actually alters a baby’s brain.
What we see here [show a photo of a mother talking to her baby] is a mother in India speaking Koro, a newly discovered language, to her baby. What this mother, and the 800 people who speak Koro in the world, understand is that to preserve this language they need to speak it to their babies. And this is the critical puzzle. Why is it that you can’t preserve a language by speaking it to you and me – the adults? [pause]. Well, it's got to do with your brain. What we see here [show graph] is that language has a critical period for learning. Babies and children are geniuses until they turn seven, and then there is a systematic decline. After puberty, we fall off the map. No scientists dispute this curve, but laboratories all over the world are trying to figure out why it works this way.
The first critical period in development is when babies are trying to master which sounds are used in their language. Scientists think by studying how the sounds are learned, we’ll have a model for the rest of language, and perhaps for critical periods that may exist in childhood for social, emotional and cognitive development. They have been studying babies using a technique that captures the sounds of all languages. The babies sit on a parent’s lap and are trained to turn their heads when a sound changes – like from ‘ah’ to ‘ee’. If they do so at the appropriate time, the black box lights up and a panda bear pounds a drum. Six-month old babies love this task.
So, what have scientists learned? [Pause]. Well, babies all over the world are already global citizens of the world. They can discriminate all the sounds of all languages, no matter what country they come from and what language is being used. And that’s remarkable because you and I can’t do that. We’re culture-bound listeners – able to discriminate the sounds of our own language, but not those of foreign languages. So the question arises, when do those citizens of the world turn into the language-bound listeners that we are? And the answer is before their first birthdays. At six to eight months, babies tested in Tokyo and the United States were able to distinguish between ‘ra’ and ‘la’ – sounds important in English but not to Japanese. Two months later, something incredible happens. The babies in the United States are getting a lot better. However, babies in Japan are getting a lot worse. It is now evident that both groups of babies are preparing for exactly the language that they are going to learn.